seminar presentation 2009

8/11/2019 Seminar Presentation 2009

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Statement of the Problem

Learner-centred teaching is an approach that isoften adopted in the L2 reading classroom butlittle emphasis is given to the interaction thattakes place among learners.

If the keys to learning are exposure to input andmeaningful interaction with other learners, thereis a need to find out how learners mediate their

comprehension of texts in second languagecontext.


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Aims of Study

To provide a rich in-depth portrait of the talkproduced by ESL secondary school learners asthey engage in discussions of texts written in

English.To understand how learners construct theirunderstanding of the texts and the conditionsthat contribute to the ways they construct thisunderstanding.


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Reading Comprehension

A constructive and active process thatentails relating new and incoming informationto information already stored in memory

(Bernhardt, 1991:191)

It is social as much as it is a cognitive process(Hudson, 2007; Almasi, 1996; Fielding andPearson, 1994; Gambrell and Almasi, 1993;Wallace, 1992).


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Peer Interaction

face-to-face oral communication that occursbetween two or more individuals ofapproximately the same ageshaped by the tasks, participants andexpected outcomesa platform to validate, broaden, transforminterpretation and understanding


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Meaning Construction

the process in which readers use the texts andtheir own knowledge of the world, of the topic,and language, to infer, set and discardhypotheses, predict and question in order tocome to an understanding of the texts.

manifested in the sequence or cycle of utteranceduring social interaction.

involves the sharing of individual responses inreaching an agreed-upon meaning.


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Research Questions

1) What are the patterns of interactionemployed by ESL secondary schoollearners when they are engaged indiscussions of reading texts?

2) How do the ESL secondary school learnersconstruct meaning during their discussionsof the texts?

3) What are the conditions contributing to theemerging patterns of interaction to arriveat meaning?


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Methodology

Qualitative approachdescriptive, qualitative research, in thenaturalistic setting of a classroom.it seeks first to describe and then interpret, tothe extent possible, the interactions of groups ofstudents (Charles and Mertler, 2002).

Data generation:Audio-visual recordingsClassroom observationsInterviewsDocument reviews


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Ensuring Rigour and Trustworthiness

Credibility: triangulation, member checks,prolonged engagement andpersistent observation, peerreview, clarifying researcher sbias

Transferability: detailed description

Dependability:(Reliability)

making known the researcher sposition, triangulation andaudit trail


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The Subjects

32 Form 4 studentsdiverse backgrounds -some students comefrom English-speaking families from around KLand some come from the FELDA schemes.

students worked together in groups or pairs oftheir choice.


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Data Collection Procedures

Data were collected over a period of threemonths beginning in July and ended inSeptember 2003.Data were collected weekly during the specifiedliterature periods for the classDuring this period, the teacher engaged thestudents in reading tasks that were based onprescribed short stories for Form Four.


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Data Analysis

Using QSR NVivo (Version 2.0.161d) software,data were analyzed recursively and iteratively,according to the constant comparative method(Bogdan and Biklen, 1992).

Identify recurring themes in the transcriptionsGenerate codes to represent themes or idea.Compare and contrast to identify categoriesfrom common elements or patternGroup categories according to researchquestionsInterpret meanings


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RQ 2: The Construction of Meaning (1)

Collaborative Dominant-Passive

DiscourseFeatures

Use of discourse strategies(60%) .Several requests and correcting

language use.Many instances of simultaneoustalk.

Relatively fewer use of discoursestrategies (40%).Little focus on correcting language

use.Fewer instances of simultaneoustalk.

ReadingComprehensionStrategies

A high frequency of strategies.Use of global strategies (58%).

Lower frequency of strategies.Use of global strategies (42%).Reading aloud is common


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RQ 2: The Construction of Meaning (2)Collaborative Dominant-Passive

CollaborationsDuringTextualEpisodes

Episodes resolved collaboratively(55%).

Episodes resolved by particular

individuals in the group (26%).

Episodes not resolved even withcollaborative effort (3%).

Episodes not resolved (16%).

Lengthy deliberations of ideasinto something more complex.

Episodes resolved collaboratively(28%).

Episodes resolved by particular

individuals in the group (16%).

Episodes not resolved even withcollaborative effort (24%).

Episodes not resolved (32%).

Ideas deliberated briefly. Someended abruptly.


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RQ 3: Conditions Contributing toDifferences in Patterns of Interaction

TeacherFactor

Teaching Approach Positive towards negotiation of meaningProvide interventionExam-oriented (focus on the product of learning)Approach to group work

Task Selection Preparation for examsTaken whole scale from a workbookMany questions called for low level processing.

Issuesamonglearners

use of discourse strategies and global readingcomprehension strategies yet lack of collaborativeagreementfear of straying from text lack of confidencethe process of learning vs. the product of learning


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Conclusions

Reader-reader discussion fosters engagement inreading and serves as a platform to make knownand share problems in comprehension.Readers share resources and employ variousstrategies. However, they need to workcollaboratively to arrive at better or newunderstanding.Focus on the product of learning leads learners toview group discussion as opportunities to obtainanswers to complete tasks.Teacher and learner factors contribute to thenature of interaction.


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Pedagogical Implications

Why do we use group work in the readingclassroom?

to provide practice in reading?to demonstrate understanding via certain production?to assist learners to extend their capacity tocollaboratively construct meaning?as learners construct meaning, they become activelyinvolved in making sense of the texts, thus, makingthem more active readers


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Pedagogical Implications 2

Does collaborative interaction amonglearners come naturally?

expose learners to learning during collectivescaffoldingsstrategy training - expose learners to strategyuse and questioning

to challenge a reason, ask for clarification, offer acounterargument, or request evidence to support aposition.

build confidence


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Pedagogical Implications 3

How can we encourage interaction among peersto create and support a collaborative learningenvironment?

Task designfocus on different levels of comprehension and exploremultiple perspectives.structure contexts that support learners meaningfulengagement and learning.E.g. problem-oriented (Wells, 1992), provide for choiceamong alternative solutions (Barnes, 1995), concretemanipulation and experimentation (Crook, 1995), exploremultiple perspectives on an issue (Waggoner, et al. ,1995) .

L1 vs. L2


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The End

seminar presentation 2009

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